According to research from SiriusDecisions, B2B procurement cycles have risen by 22 percent over the past five years, due primarily to a rise in the number of stakeholders, reduced budgets and hesitance to spend without performing in-depth research.

Procurement cycles are typically defined in the business environment as series of steps needed to supply a production line or replenish stock in a distribution center, BusinessDictionary reports.

"Our technically-oriented clients, in particular, are finding the longer cycle to be a drag on profits and growth," said Paul Barlow of B2B specialists Vertical Marketing. "As marketers we want to help speed the cycle by delivering the right information needed to the right person, in the right format at the right time at any point in the process. "

Barlow suggests taking advantage of social marketing platforms that allow B2B marketers to identify each target's information requirements to deliver a customized package at a quicker rate.

ClickZ points to the example of LinkedIn, which offers pay-per-click advertisements to reach B2B sectors. The platform allows marketers to target specific audiences by geographic region, age and gender, as well as job title, company and groups the user has joined.
 

Bookmark and Share